


11/11

by soultyghost



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, First Kiss, The Pocky Game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-11
Updated: 2019-11-11
Packaged: 2021-01-27 19:34:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21397507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soultyghost/pseuds/soultyghost
Summary: It was 11/11. AKA Singles Day. AKA Pocky Day.Ingrid lost a bet. Claude was determined to collect his debt.
Relationships: Ingrid Brandl Galatea/Claude von Riegan
Comments: 8
Kudos: 15





	11/11

**Author's Note:**

> it's still 11/11 in some parts of the world. this is not a sponsored fic by glico lol

“‘Finfes thay?’” Ingrid repeated, the words unintelligible over the sound of her teeth crunching on Pocky sticks.

Annette cringed at the sight. “Yes, ‘Singles Day,’” she said as she slowly nudged the box of chocolate-covered biscuits away from Ingrid’s reach. They had barely torn open the packet when Ingrid’s long fingers snatched five sticks at the same time. Mercedes had always teased her for being a sweets-gobbler but Ingrid...Ingrid put Annette to shame.

“I’m going shopping with Mercedes after this because some places have a sale to celebrate singlehood,” she continued. “Wanna come with?”

Annette was already expecting Ingrid to decline so it didn’t phase her when Ingrid hesitated. She burst into a fit of giggles as Ingrid slowly dragged the sticks in and out of her mouth. “I know, I know. You always get worn out before we’re even halfway done. Stop playing with your food, you’re getting chocolate all over your teeth.”

“Celebrate singlehood?” Ingrid asked. She looked as confused as Annette was feeling. Why was she hung up on that of all things?

Annette sighed. Felix had already made enough fun of her when she mentioned it to him earlier that day. She was still feeling salty over their essentially one-sided conversation. Didn’t he know it was rude to eavesdrop on someone? They weren’t even close friends, so who did he think he was telling her how to spend her money? 

“I know, I know,” she said again. “It’s all a marketing ploy to capitalize on our obsession over love. But it’s so fun shopping with girlfriends, Ingrid! Come with us, pretty please? You don’t even have to buy anything, even just browsing is fun!”

“Girl….friends…?”

“...Yes...because we’re all girls...and we’re all...friends?” Annette said, wondering if she had gotten ahead of herself and Ingrid only saw her and Mercedes as regular classmates. But then what did it mean if they’ve spent half of the school year hanging out? They’re all even on each other’s ‘friends’ list on all their social media accounts!

Annette squeaked out loud when Ingrid suddenly stood up and slammed both hands on the picnic table. 

“I thought it was Pocky Day???” she bellowed. From her angle, the way Ingrid loomed over her made face look terrifying.

“Yes, yes, yes! But it’s also Singles Day because it’s 11/11. You know, 1 symbolizing a person! Genius right, haha!” Annette said, trailing off into forced laughter.

By the time Annette calmed down, Ingrid still hadn’t moved. It was more than a little worrying. She bent her neck to look up at Ingrid’s face then gasped at how much it resembled an overripe tomato.

“So this is where you girls ran off to. Wait, isn’t that box of Pocky mine?” a smooth voice interrupted. 

_Huh? Claude? Oh! No way!_ Annette almost hit her head against Ingrid’s chin when her brain finally pieced everything together.

* * *

  
  


Ingrid discreetly coughed and covered her mouth with a hand. She pretended to cough harder while quickly swiping her tongue across her teeth to get rid of any remaining bits of Pocky. Her eyes accidentally met Claude’s from across the table.

_He knows. He definitely knows what I’m doing. Look at that smug grin. That face is begging for a reconstruction!_ Ingrid yelled in her mind, hyper-aware of the way Claude was casually resting his chin against his hands as though he was making himself comfortable in preparation to watch Ingrid’s one-man comedy skit. 

There was nowhere for her to hide and she was literally stuck. Her seat was right against a wall and with the way the furniture in the Student Life Center was crammed together, she’d have to climb over Claude’s legs to escape. Stupid man-spreading and stupid arbitrary commercial celebrations. And curse Annette for running away without her when she was the one who got Ingrid into this situation!

It all started when Claude wanted to talk after the one tutorial block they shared. Class had ended late and she was in a hurry to meet up with Annette. With the rush of people walking to and fro around them and her rising impatience, Ingrid didn’t really process much of what he said.

“Since it’s Pocky Day, and I won our bet, my wish is that we play a game. One that might end our singlehood.” With an infuriating smirk, Claude held out a box of Pocky to her face and lightly shook it. “If I win, you’ll be my girlfr—”

At that exact moment, Annette suddenly appeared and grabbed Ingrid by the elbow. “Okay, sure, whatever, see you later, Claude,” Ingrid dismissively said, thinking the snack was a gift and snatching it before she left. 

Ingrid stared mournfully at the incriminating evidence in front of her. There was no getting out of this.

She watched in blankly as Claude’s calloused fingers slid into the silver packet. “Nice of you to leave one intact for me,” he said.

Ingrid bit her lips. Anything she said would be used against her so she kept quiet. Claude wasn’t perturbed, but his grin widened as he slowly tapped one end of the stick on his own lips.

“I know you hate losing so I’m giving you another chance to kick my ass,” Claude said. “This one’s simpler than comparing test scores. Each of us holds onto one end of the stick between our teeth. The first person to let go loses. How about it?”

“Don’t pretend that I have a choice,” Ingrid said with a scoff. Why she agreed to the bet in the first place was beyond her. Obviously, Claude knew why or he wouldn’t have exploited her competitive spirit in the first place.

“You do have a choice. Just say no and I’ll come up with a different wish for you to grant.”

Ingrid looked away and said nothing. She didn’t want to see Claude’s expression when he's offering her a way out. 

It was embarrassing but she understood that he was adjusting his pace to match hers. It wasn’t anything like the romance novels Annette and Mercedes made her read, and definitely nothing like Dorothea’s experiences with men. She didn’t have a point of reference other than her own feelings. So she shouldn’t begrudge him of finding ways to have fun when he was putting more effort than she was. 

She hasn’t even said the words, “I like you”. She still couldn’t muster the courage to say it now but she’d spent too many days thinking about what it would be like as his girlfriend to throw this opportunity away.

Ingrid steeled herself before meeting Claude’s eyes. Not for the first time, her heart skipped a few beats at the thought of their eye color matching. She bent forward and said, “I accept your challenge.”

The blatant joy in his eyes when he registered her words was blinding. She scrunched her eyes shut, feeling extremely shy but also very happy. 

“Don’t close your eyes,” she heard him whisper. Ingrid’s heart almost leaped out of her chest when she saw how close their faces were.

“C-c-claude, w-w-wait a mi-minute,” she stammered, suddenly losing all of her courage when he lightly brushed one end of the stick against her lips.

“Shhh...Say ‘ah’, Ingrid.” 

Ingrid almost died from mortification when her tongue licked her lips of its own accord. With her mind busy with mocking herself, Ingrid could only obediently follow Claude’s instructions when he told her to bite the stick gently.

“Good girl,” Claude praised. Ingrid wasn’t sure if it was intentional but as he pulled away, his lips against her forehead. Maybe it was a blessing that her body wasn’t listening to her brain. She was so sure she’d spontaneously combust otherwise.

Claude held the stick between two fingers to keep it steady. “Ready?” he asked, his pronunciation sounding off with the stick between his teeth.

Ingrid didn’t want to break the stick so she only hummed in agreement.

With a wink, Claude let his hand fall so that the only things supporting the stick were their mouths. Just as Ingrid started to wonder how they’ll keep track of the time, there was a small but at the same time, loud snap and Claude’s face suddenly felt very close.

Ingrid made a confused sound. Without explaining himself, Claude kept shortening the stick, silently daring her to let go with his eyes. She glared at his stupidly handsome face as she began to meet him head-on. A small part of her purred in satisfaction at the look of excitement on his face.

They started leaning out of their seats, splaying their hands on the table to stabilize their posture. Ingrid would have felt embarrassed by the way their fingers overlapped but she was too focused on anticipating the moment their lips would meet.

Before Ingrid could figure out the logistics of the kiss, she felt her lips pressed against Claude’s. She had no idea what to do but apparently, her brain did. Ingrid automatically closed her eyes and tilted her head...and almost inhaled the bits of Pocky in her mouth in her excitement.

After a humiliating display of mutual coughing and spraying, Ingrid began to calm down and started planning her death with a clear mind.

“Drink some water,” Claude said, offering his tumbler of water after he drank his fill.

Her scratchy throat felt more important than her pride so she accepted it gratefully. As she drank, she watched Claude pull out a handkerchief from his pants pocket and wordlessly clean up after their mess.

“Now that I think about it, we never agreed on the prize,” Ingrid said to fill the silence but also avoid mentioning the elephant in the room.

“Does it matter?” Claude said with a chuckle. “If I win, you’ll be my girlfriend. And if you win, I’ll be your boyfriend.”  
  


Ingrid stared at him wide-eyed. She was originally too embarrassed to ask who won but to think! That! It! Didn’t! Matter! Because! She! Got! Played! 

“Let’s play another game, then," she said, smiling despite her anger and humiliation. "It’s called, ‘Stay Still as I Beat You Up! Get back here, Claude!’”


End file.
